The advent of computers, the Internet, and other advances in the digital realm of consumer electronics have resulted in a great variety of programming, recording, and viewing options for users who view media content such as television programs. In implementing such enhanced programming, the set-top box (STB) has become an important computing device for accessing media content services and the media content within those services. In addition to supporting traditional analog broadcast video functionality, STBs also support an increasing number of two-way digital services such as video-on-demand, internet protocol television (IPTV), and personal video recording.
An STB is typically connected to a cable or satellite, or generally, a subscriber television system, and includes hardware and software necessary to provide the functionality of the subscriber television system at a user site. While many STBs are stand-alone devices that are externally connected to a television, an STB and/or its functionality may be integrated into a television or personal computer, a mobile device such as a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA), or even into an audio device such as a programmable radio.
An STB is usually configured to provide users with a large number and variety of media content choices. For example, a user may choose to experience a variety of broadcast television programs, pay-per-view services, video-on-demand programming, and audio programming via an STB.
The popularity of services that are accessible through STBs has attracted advertisers. Traditionally, an advertiser pays a fixed fee for an advertisement to be broadcast over a subscriber television system during a particular time slot. However, such advertising arrangements are rather limiting for users, service providers, and advertisers. For example, a user who views a particular advertisement has little or no control over the information being presented. Moreover, the user typically has to take nontrivial, disconnected action in order to contact an advertiser, obtain the advertised services or products, or even access additional information about the advertised services or products. For instance, a user may have to write down contact information (e.g., a telephone number or web address) for use in contacting the advertiser at a later time, or the user may have to navigate away from media content (e.g., a television program) being presented in order to contact the advertiser or access additional information (e.g. by switching to another programming channel such as a dedicated advertising channel). The nontrivial and disconnected nature of these actions may cause a user not to respond to an advertisement even though the user initially felt a desire to do so when experiencing the advertisement.